Kadha | ayurvedic warm spiced drink

It was certainly not a great weekend with an bush fire emergency that tested our bonds as a family and also the anxiety that the hovering helicopters provided. However this is how emergencies are, they come in fast and leave you confused and grappling for ray of hope. After we were back home and a bit of reassurance, the smoke in the air, started sniffles. It was necessary to have something soothing to sip on.
So we made some kadha, an ayurvedic drink that is great to hold and have a warm drink. Have you tried it?

What is kadha?

Kadha is an ayurvedic warm drink that is perfect for winter months. It is vegan, gluten free and caffeine free. The preparation and flavours resemble a seeped tea, however it is not the mix for an Indian chai. It is also called karha or kawath in regional languages.

Ingredients to make kadha

Ginger : fresh ginger root is great for throat. It is slightly spicy. While choosing your ginger choose the older fibrous roots to get the best results. The younger ginger can be pickled. If you have frozen ginger it is fine to be used in this recipe.
Lemon grass: fresh lemon grass has the citrus aroma to it. If you are growing lemon grass you can just use the leaves which have plenty of flavour. However the store bought ones are the root so peel off a couple of outer leaves to make this. We use lemongrass to make lemongrass jelly
Turmeric: fresh turmeric root is a pain reliever and antibacterial. Hence preffered in this recipe. However a good quality turmeric powder is equally effective.
Cardamom: cardamom is an ingredient your will find in sweet and savory Indian preparations. The green cardamom had a sweet aroma that lightens the intensity of the mix. However the black cardamom is woody and a bit smoky in flavour.
Fennel seeds : fennel is a great neutralizers for acidic stomach and hence preferred in this drink. It also has a sweet stimulating aroma that is lovely in a tea.
Peppercorns : black peppercorns are not much in this recipe, but are wonderful to reduce the phlegm and the tickle in the throat. You can use whole peppercorns, crushed or powdered ones just that you will need to adjust the quantities accordingly. The powdered once will be more intense when boiled than the whole ones.
Cloves : clove and clove oil is used from a mouth freshener to phlegm remover in Indian traditional medicine. The whole Cloves are used, not a lot but just a couple that coat the back of the throat and prevent the tendency to keep coughing.
Jaggery : when there is a whole lot of spices in your drink it will need a bit of a sweetener. Jaggery is preferred, however you can use rock sugar or honey too.

Let’s make ayurvedic kadha

Making kadha is a fairly simple process. It is also a recipe that allows ample variations. So if you don’t have an ingredient, don’t worry, it will still turn out to be great. So here are the steps

Wash, peel and crush the ginger and lemon grass.
Set the water to come to a slow boil.
Add the crushed ginger, lemongrass, fennel, pepper, cloves and elaichi.
Let this come to a rolling boil.
Reduce and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Now strain and stir in the sweetner.
Pour into cups and sip warm.

: Spices needed

: set the water for boiling.

: Add punded ginger.

: Add jaggery syrup

: Kadha ready

How does kadha taste?

Kadha has more of a strong chai flavour without the milk. You can reduce the intensity of it by adding hot water to suit your tastebuds.

Can I make this and an instant kadha mix?

If you are finding it hard to source fresh ingredients to make kadha everyday, you can make an instant mix and store it. For this you need

Dry ginger powder (sonth, chukku)
Dried lemon grass leaves
Turmeric powder
Cloves
Fennel seeds
Black and green cardamom
Black Peppercorns
Jaggery

Once you have collected all these ingredients, add them to a spice mixer or a coffee grinder and make a fine powder. When ready to make kadha, add half a tsp of the mix to your cup and pour hot water. Let it seep for two minutes and it is ready.

Making it for the week

Personally, I don’t recommend making this recipe ahead. This is because the cold kadha is not as great as the warm ones that are lively to sip on. However if you are finding it difficult to source all the ingredients on a daily basis,check above for making the mix ahead and storing it so you can boil it in water to make this easily.

Is kadha like a cough syrup?

Kadha is not a medicine. It is just a soothing recipe for the throat and so is not a cough syrup. Please consider medical advice when you are unwell.

Can we drink kadha everyday?

Yes, kadha can be had everyday as it is more like a seeped tea with some spices. Since it is soothing for winter months and doesn’t irritate the tummy it is beneficial to have it even everyday.

Kadha

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Course Drinks, Traditional

Cuisine Asian, diabetic friendly, Indian

Equipment

saucepan small
mortar and pestle
seive

Ingredients

2 cups drinking water
3 blades lemongrass
1 inch fresh ginger root
1/4 tsp turmeric powder or 1/4 inch turmeric root
3 cloves
4 peppercorns
2 green cardamom
1 black cardamom
1/4 tsp fennel seeds

Instructions

Set the water for boiling
Pound ginger and lemon grass to release the juices.
Add the turmeric powder, whole spices.
Let this com to a rolling boil.
Now add jaggery ( or jaggery syrup) and mix well.
Strain into cups.
The drink is now ready to be had.

Keyword Indian drink recipes, Winter warmers

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More warm drinks that are useful.

Basil chai
Palm jaggery milk
Lemon tea
Dandelion tea
Cumin pepper milk
Licorice tea

Stay connected

It is going to take us a bit of a while to process what happened this weekend. If you are in the vicinity do reach out and we can bond over a cup of chai for sure. In the meantime, if this kadha recipe comes in handy for you, don’t miss to let us know. We always love a feedback o our recipes, so do comment and rate. Share and tag us in your posts on Instagram Facebook, X or Threads.
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